According to a survey published by HIMSS Analytics, healthcare providers are embracing the use of cloud technology for hosting EHRs and other clinical applications. Information on the HIMSS website indicates that the survey was created in an effort to understand the challenges, barriers, and successes experienced by healthcare organizations that are using a “software as a service” (SaaS) model for cloud services. There are said to be cost-cutting benefits to using a cloud model, and online availability means that patient data is immediately accessible across clinic locations.
HIMSS reports that clinician use of cloud technology has been aided in part by government subsidies and incentives. In the survey, 83% of IT executives report using cloud services, with 9.3% planning to do so in the future, indicating that initial concerns related to data security, HIPAA compliance, online availability, and operational disruption may have been overcome.
A complimentary copy of the 2014 HIMSS Analytics Cloud Survey is available for download on the HIMSS website.
As previously covered in a December 29, 2014 post on 24×7, Dell conducted a similar survey on the adoption of cloud technology by healthcare companies.
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